A Galerkin method for distributed systems with non-local damping

In this paper, a non-local damping model including time and spatial hysteresis effects is used for the dynamic analysis of structures consisting of Euler-Bernoulli beams and Kirchoff plates. Unlike ordinary local damping models, the damping force in a non-local model is obtained as a weighted average of the velocity field over the spatial domain, determined by a kernel function based on distance measures. The resulting equation of motion for the beam or plate structures is an integro-partial-differential equation, rather than the partial-differential equation obtained for a local damping model. Approximate solutions for the complex eigenvalues and modes with non-local damping are obtained using the Galerkin method. Numerical examples demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method for beam and plate structures with simple boundary conditions, for non-local and non-viscous damping models, and different kernel functions. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.